My name is Aidan Heynes. I currently work as a Technical Solutions Specialist for Dell Technologies. I’ve always had a major interest in technology growing up and I was always quite creative throughout secondary school. I feel the role I have now, offers the best of both allowing me to be creative on how I help solve customer’s problems through the use of I.T.

Has your opinion of STEM changed since you were a teenager?

Absolutely – Since I’ve left school, STEM seems to have grown as a big focus within schools which is a massive advantage in today’s world. Technology is always growing and changing rapidly and the digital world we have today, was not the same 10 years ago.

In your opinion, what is the biggest myth about STEM careers?

The biggest myth I’ve come across is that STEM careers are for “Geeks” and people that sit at a computer screen all day, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Do you believe that there is enough being done to encourage girls to study STEM and pursue STEM careers?

Yes – We’re working hard with the Digital Future’s program to really encourage more females to study STEM subjects and work toward a career in technology, by showing them the diverse paths they can choose, the opportunities and the fun side of our industry.

Describe an interesting day in your current position.

I get a lot of opportunities to travel to Dell’s office across Europe. I’ve recently been to our Limerick office to meet with some of our colleagues from across the pond to catch up on business, do some training and explore their test centre where they show some of our innovative products to customers such as IoT (Internet of Things) and Virtual Reality. Our offices are really fun places to be – lots of breakout areas to play ping pong, Xbox or to just chill out when you need.

What do you love about your current role?

I love being able to work collaboratively with a lot of different people with expertise in different areas. We have a very sociable job and we get to work with some really great people, but ultimately, I get a lot of satisfaction from having an in depth technical call with a customer and being able to understand the solution they’re looking for.

What has been the most surprising element of your job?

The flexibility of my job has been a surprise. Not having to be stuck at my desk for the day is refreshing and really breaks up the day. It allows me to work how I want to work in a way that suits me. When I need help I can simply meet with a colleague over coffee to discuss a challenge that I’m working on or if I need to, I can work from home.

What has been your most exciting career moment to date?

Winning awards at kick-off events is extremely exciting. Being recognized for the work you’ve done in front of your peers and senior management is fantastic and will help you moving forward in your career.

Do you get to work with any new technologies?

My role focuses on Sales, and we sell the latest and greatest of Dell Technologies’ products to our customers based in the UK. We get to provide solutions for Hyper-Converged architecture, High Performance Computing for Artificial Intelligence, and Gaming desktops for the use in Virtual Reality.

Do you ever get to travel abroad for work?

Yes, I’ve travelled to several places with work including Spain, Amsterdam, Germany and the UK. Not to mention the number of times that we also travel to our office locations around Ireland. 

What kind of other experts do you work with on a day to day basis?

I work with a number of experts in various areas of our business, such as Software specialists, Logistics teams, Marketing experts, Finance specialists, and I myself am a specialist, supporting others.

Is your current job, and the work of the wider team, making a difference in the world?

Yes, we’re supporting companies all over the world to digitally transform how they transact their business to make it more accessible to their users. Dell Technologies has also been recognized as one of the world’s most Ethical companies by using recycled Ocean plastics in their products. 

What do you hope to achieve in the next year in your current position?

I’m fairly new to my current role, so I hope to simply improve in all areas with my technical knowledge and how I work with my team to improve our sales results, which means I get the chance to earn more money. I may also start to plan what area of the business I want to move into in the future.

Do you feel that you fit the stereotypical description of a person in your role?

Not at all, I feel most people that meet me wouldn’t initially know I work in such a technical role and have achieved so much at my age. Again, there is a stereotypical idea of someone in my job that I don’t think is an accurate depiction

If a young person told you that they would like to get into your role, what advice would you give them?

Study a STEM subject that might be relevant to our Industry or would help them gain an advantage in getting a graduate role. It’s a fantastic way to get into this job where we provide a lot of training, support and opportunities which will absolutely kick start their career.

What do you want to see change in the industry in the next 10 years?

To be honest, technology changes so quickly, it’s hard to see what Technology will be like in 10 years’ time. I’d like to see it simply progress into making life easier for both consumers and businesses and how we interact.

What are your priorities for the year ahead in your role?

My main responsibility is to have knowledge in all areas of our Enterprise business, so I’ll be looking at educating myself more, through research and training sessions in order to have better conversations with our customers.

Did you complete any sort of placement or internship during your studies? If so, did it prepare you for what you do now?

I actually started in Dell as an Intern back in 2013, which I did for roughly 9 months. This was extremely valuable experience for me and helped me to be successful in applying for a role one year later. 

Name one thing on your bucket list.

Bungee Jumping is on the list. I’ve already skydived which was also on my list, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem…. I hope.

What television series are you currently watching?

I started watching the Umbrella Academy on Netflix. If anyone hasn’t seen it, get on it!

What living person do you most admire, and why?

Dwayne Johnson – He’s been extremely successful in almost everything he’s done, and I’ve been a fan of his since the late 90’s. I love his motto of “Always be the hardest worker in the room”